Here’s how Pierce County kids can ride on every bus, train and light rail for free
In time for the new school year, Pierce Transit will offer free fares for people ages 6-18 starting Thursday, Sept. 1.
The Free Youth Transit Pass will allow young people to ride free on every bus, train or light rail across Washington. Riders aged 13 and older should tap on and off with their Youth ORCA card or their current high school or middle school student ID. Those who do not have an ORCA card or a student ID will still be able to board for free for the next few months.
Pierce Transit Board chair Marty Campbell said he was pleased to join with regional partners to offer this important benefit to youth.
“Many young people need transportation to participate in after-school activities, to get to jobs and volunteer opportunities,” Campbell said. “They can use this pass to learn how to ride transit, and connect to their community, at no cost to them or their families. We hope this will prompt young people to think ‘bus-first’ and provide them with car-free commute options as adults.”
School districts and community organizations in the Pierce Transit services area will have a limited number of Free Youth Transit Passes to distribute at the start of the school year. Youth ORCA cards are available at Pierce Transit’s Bus Shop at Tacoma Dome Station or by ordering online at myorca.com/buy-online.
Tacoma City Council member Kristina Walker, who is a Pierce Transit board member and a Sound Transit board member, said at Tuesday’s council meeting that Pierce Transit had distributed 20,000 Youth ORCA cards through schools.
Walker said she is excited to offer the opportunity to have “access to jobs, to activities, to school and just to support the next generation of transit riders.”
Tacoma council member Kiara Daniels said the free fares would be one less barrier for youth getting to school and after-school activities.
Dona Ponepinto, president and CEO of the United Way of Pierce County, said the passes “will lift some of the burden of transportation expenses from families’ shoulders, and allow limited incomes to stretch further and connections to be made.”
Starting Oct. 1, youth rides on Washington State Ferries, which includes cyclists, pedestrians and vehicle passengers, will be free.
In 2023, youth will be able to get a Free Youth Transit Pass that allows them to tap a card, and eventually their smartphone, to access transit across the region for free.
The policy is part of the Move Ahead Washington transportation package passed by the Washington State legislature in March. On July 11, the Pierce Transit’s Board of Commissioners voted to approve the Free Youth Transit Pass.